The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) has developed, in collaboration with faculty members, a series of online learning modules, designed to present the latest practice-relevant child welfare research from top researchers at the University of Minnesota in a format that is timely, efficient and easy to use for today's busy child welfare professionals.

This week, CASCW is adding to its library of online learning modules with the release of two new modules on the following topics:

Social Supports for Parents with Disabilities (1.0 CEH available) This module helps the viewer understand the assumptions and contexts in which parents with disabilities live. It presents current research on social supports for parents with disabilities

Promoting Placement Stability (1.0 CEHs available) This module provides information about the importance of placement stability, introduces research findings on risk factors and protective factors related to placement stability, and explains how these findings can be used to reduce the risk of unplanned placement disruptions

Watch for the release of several NEW online learning modules on exciting and timely topics in child welfare to be released by CASCW throughout the summer!

For more information on CASCW's online learning modules, visit: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ssw/cascw/PracResources/ModuleHome.asp

Posted by at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sara Levy, a PhD student in social studies education (curriculum and instruction), received a competitive Thesis Research Grant from the Graduate School. The grant covers costs associated with thesis research, such as domestic travel and expenses for fieldwork, postage, and photocopying.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bic Ngo, assistant professor of culture and teaching in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, is one of five exceptional early-career researchers recently selected as a William T. Grant Scholar. The Scholars Program supports promising early-career researchers from diverse disciplines, who have demonstrated success in conducting high-quality research and are seeking to further develop and broaden their expertise. Ngo will receive $350,000 distributed over a five-year period for her new research study, "Innovating Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Insights from Arts Programs Serving Immigrant Youth."

Posted by Lynn Englund at 5:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A KARE 11 news story on the Bush Foundation's partnership with the University of Minnesota and 13 other educational institutions to promote statewide improvements in teacher recruitment, training, and support included comments by Misty Sato (assistant professor, curriculum and instruction), an expert on teacher development. Sato's comments indicated that better teacher preparation can help first-year teachers be more like career teachers, which may reduce the number of teachers who leave the field within their first four years.

The College of Education and Human Development, working closely with Minnesota school-district partners, is streamlining its teacher education curriculum based on current, high-quality research that ensures effective teaching, includes intensive field experiences under supervision of expert teachers, establishes mastery of state standards for content knowledge and teaching practice, and includes a three-to five-year induction process involving the support of college faculty and staff.

See the KARE 11 video clip below:

Posted by Lynn Englund at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Curriculum and Instruction PhD student Barbara Billington (science education) has been selected to receive a Women's Philanthropic Leadership Circle Award for 2011. The award includes $1,500 for conference presentations and travel expenses.

Barb was selected from a large pool of highly qualified and impressive female graduate students to receive this prestigious award. The WPLC will be holding its annual awards celebration to honor Barb and other award recipients on June 15 in St Paul.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abigail Gewirtz, associate professor of Family Social Science, joined the morning show hosts on KARE 11 to share tips about talking with children about disasters, both natural and man-made.

"It's hard to switch yourself off from all of the media coming [to us]," Gewirtz said, "It's hard to cut it off." She stressed the importance of simply listening to children, and letting them talk about their concerns or worries instead of trying to guess how they are feeling.

Reassuring them with time and with affirmations that they are loved are also important.

">Watch more tips from Gewirtz or visit the KARE 11 site.

Posted by Amanda Brown at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lesa Covington Clarkson (associate professor of mathematics education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction) is the faculty/staff recipient of the 2011 Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award. The award recognizes individuals who are passionately engaged in social justice, human rights, equity, and diversity, and through their principles and practices, exemplify Dr. Johnson's standard of excellence in creating respectful and inclusive living, learning, and working environments.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction celebrated Student Research Day with over 30 students providing poster presentations to faculty and students in Peik Hall on March 25. The culmination of the event was the presentation of awards to four outstanding students.

Outstanding Graduate Student Research Paper Award winners were Candance Doerr-Stevens and James Nyachwaya. Candace Doerr-Stevens is a doctoral student in the literacy education program specializing in critical literacy and English education (CLEE). Her research explores student engagement and identity construction through digital media composition. James Nyachwaya is a doctoral student in science education. His current research is tracking how changes in the instructor's approach to teaching the particulate nature of matter are producing improvements in student learning.

Graduate Student Instructor Award winners were Barbara Billington (science education) and Zachary Casey (culture and teaching). Highlights from the award nomination letter by Barb's advisor said, "Barb is unreservedly the best science teacher educator that I have met during my career and an excellent ambassador for our department." Zac's advisor wrote, "student comments point to how both the course content and Mr. Casey's instructional approaches promoted intense engagement with learning even as they focused attention on difficult and complex issues of diversity and difference." Both individuals were recognized for the quality of their contributions to students in the department.

View a listing of Research Day 2011 Poster Presentations.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reading researchers Deborah Dillon and David O'Brien (professors of literacy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction) were noted for their "highly influential research in the field of literacy" by David Reinking (Eugene T. Moore Professor of Teacher Education, Clemson University) in his recent presidential address to members of the Literacy Research Association (LRA). Reinking stated in his address that an article by Dillon, O'Brien, and Elizabeth Heilman (Michigan State University) in the millennial issue of RRQ (Reading Research Quarterly) "should be required reading for all literacy researchers or those who wish to become one."

Reinking's address, along with the article, was included on a flash drive provided to the members of the association. Also included was a copy of Dillon's paper, delivered when she served as president of the organization (published in 2003). View Reinking's presidential address.

The Literacy Research Association is a community of scholars dedicated to promoting research that enriches the knowledge, understanding, and development of lifespan literacies in a multicultural and multilingual world. LRA is committed to ethical research that is rigorous, methodologically diverse, and socially responsible. LRA is dedicated to disseminating such research broadly so as to promote generative theories, informed practices and sound policies. Central to its mission, LRA mentors and supports future generations of literacy scholars.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Committee on Scholars of Color in Education (CSCE) has named Bic Ngo, assistant professor of culture and teaching (Department of Curriculum and Instruction), as a recipient of the 2011 Early Career Contribution Award. This award recognizes early career scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect ethnic and social minority populations through rigorous scholarship and research. The award will be presented during AERA's annual meeting in New Orleans, April 8-10, 2011.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Learning technologies' faculty--Aaron Doering, Charles Miller, and Cassie Scharber--received an award for the best research paper at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference in Nashville, TN. The paper, "Designing with and for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The Evolution of GeoThentic," describes how a technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework informed the authors' design for GeoThentic, an online teaching and learning environment that focuses on engaging teachers and learners in solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The paper also discusses a set of assessment models within GeoThentic that can be used to assess teachers' TPACK.

Posted by Greg Steinke at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year's winner for the Mixed Methods Research SIG Outstanding Mixed Methods Dissertation Award is Dr. Pamela M. Wesely, a Curriculum and Instruction (SLC) Ph.D. graduate (2009). Her adviser was Diane Tedick, and her dissertation was titled: The Language Learning Motivation of Early Adolescent French and Spanish Elementary Immersion Program Graduates.

Dr. Wesely is now Assistant Professor, Foreign Language and ESL Education, The University of Iowa.

This award recognizes an individual whose dissertation makes an outstanding contribution to the field of mixed methods research. The successful recipient will receive recognition by the SIG in the form of a $1,000 honorarium and will be invited to present the dissertation study at the SIG's Business Meeting at the 2011 AERA conference.

A panel of judges comprising experts in the field of mixed methods research evaluated the submissions this year based on the following criteria: quality of the completed research, contribution to theory and practice of mixed methods research, originality and appropriateness of the utilized mixed methods approach, quality and depth of resulting meta-inferences, and value of the findings in contributing to knowledge in education.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thom Swiss, professor of culture and teaching (CI), was co-organizer of the Materialities and Imaginaries of the Mobile Internet Conference held Feb 11-13 at Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. The objective of the conference was to bring together an international group of scholars to develop a set of theoretical and methodological approaches to the interdisciplinary concept of "mobilities." Swiss's article on the topic of highly mobile students and the homeless, "Zombies. Children of Zombies!," is the lead article in the current issue of the Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies.

Posted by Greg Steinke at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 13, 2011, KARE 11 Extra featured the launch of Earthducation's Expedition 1 to Burkina Faso, a land-locked country where the future will depend on the ability to provide a consistent supply of fresh water. Earthducation team members, led by Curriculum and Instruction's learning technologies' professors Aaron Doering and Charles Miller, are now in Burkina Faso, Africa.

Follow the Earthducation expedition on Twitter and www.earthducation.com for updates.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

J.B. Mayo, Jr., assistant professor in social studies education (Curriculum and Instruction), was recently awarded the Kipchoge Neftali Kirkland Social Justice Award at the annual meeting of the College University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). Mayo was recognized for his conference paper entitled "Native Americans' Acceptance of Diversity: Lessons Learned from the Two Spirit Tradition." In this paper, Mayo calls upon social studies educators and K-12 teachers to encourage more inclusive perspectives/conversations on gender expression, and greater understanding of gender variance among their students. This more nuanced form of social learning may impact a variety of present-day social ills, including the incidence of teen suicide caused by homophobia.

The award is named after the late Dr. Kipchoge Neftali Kirkland, an educator, researcher, and spoken word artist. Dr. Kirkland was an inspiration and role model who strove to meet the needs of underserved and marginalized populations, especially through his work and activism.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Tekne: Innovation in Teaching Award recognizes innovative classroom use of technology in K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, and expands opportunities for students to be successful in technology-related careers.

Scot Hovan, Ph.D. student in science education (Department of Curriculum and Instruction) and engineering coordinator for the Mahtomedi school district, has been instrumental in the creation of the Mahtomedi Engineering Leadership Program (MELP). It currently consists of three facets: engineering curriculum, engineering integration, and community engagement. Through Hovan's relationship with the University of Minnesota's STEM Education Center, he has helped incorporate the use of Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) in several non-engineering classes. Hovan also has led evening engineering events to promote awareness and excitement around engineering, regularly attracting over 500 community members. The community engagement activities of MELP also include engineering summer camps for kids and extracurricular engineering activities.

In addition to the integration of science and engineering into the ninth grade curriculum, Mahtomedi middle school students are now required to take engineering courses. This widespread implementation of engineering is pioneering the future of STEM education in Minnesota.

Congratulations to Scot for this well deserved reward!

Posted by Greg Steinke at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tamara J. Moore (assistant professor of mathematics education, curriculum and instruction, and co-director of the STEM Education Center) has received a $400,109 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), to research implementing K-12 engineering standards through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) integration.

The award is one of NSF's highest honors for early-career faculty whose research builds a firm foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education. The grant will begin October 1, 2010, and will continue for five years.

Posted by Greg Steinke at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Illinois' Graduate School of Library and Information
Science recently awarded Jessica E. Moyer, M.S., C.A.S. (Ph.D. candidate in literacy education, Curriculum and Instruction) their Alumni Leadership Award. Jessica is honored for her excellent writing, teaching and her professional presentations. The leadership award, is given to an alumnus who has graduated in the past ten years and who has shown leadership in the field of library and information science.

Posted by Greg Steinke at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Though the hazards of distracted driving while talking on a cell phone have been a key focus in road safety discussions, Professor Paul Rosenblatt believes that the same distractions can also harm close relationships.

In his recently published article in the journal Family Science Review, co-authored with graduate student Xiaohui Li, Rosenblatt examines factors that make driving while on a cell phone dangerous, such as longer reaction times and impaired attention, and can also make communication difficult.

"A delay in the conversation could be a problem if the person (spouse or partner) on the other end of the conversation interprets the delayed reaction as an indicator of ambivalence, of not having a ready answer, or of hiding something. This all leads to upsetting the partner," Rosenblatt says.

Drivers can miss important points of the conversation while their attention is split between the phone and the road, leading the person on the other end of the call to become frustrated in repeating things. The caller may also become concerned for the driver's safety and end the conversation early, which could cause annoyance for the driver.

While most relationships can weather a difficult phone call and easily resolve communication road bumps, for couples in which things have been so difficult that they both are considering ending the relationship, problems arising from a difficult phone conversation may push their relationship to the tipping point," says Rosenblatt.

Read the full journal article: "Hazards to Family Relationships from Cell Phone Usage While Driving". The article has also received local and national media attention, including Fox 9 News, the Los Angeles Times and the ScienceBlog.

Posted by Amanda Brown at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Karen Seashore, the Robert H. Beck Professor of Ideas in Education, has been named Regents Professor by the University Board of Regents. Established in 1965, the Regents Professor designation is the highest level of recognition given to faculty by the University. Seashore is one of only three University faculty awarded this honor in 2010.

"Year after year, Regents Professors represent the best and brightest in their fields, and this year's selections are no exception," said University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks. "Their bold discoveries and commitment to excellence across a wide range of disciplines embody the mission and aspirations of a world-class research and land-grant university."

The addition of Seashore, from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), along with professors William Iacono (College of Liberal Arts, psychology) and Horace Loh (Medical School, pharmacology) increases the total number of current Regents Professorships at the University to 30.

Seashore is an internationally acclaimed scholar whose research is grounded in social science theory and who is considered to be the most important methodologist in the field of school improvement and school leadership in the last quarter century. Her work on entrepreneurial science is said to have changed the understanding of science and research and is considered to be the gold standard on the subject. She has published 13 books, 17 major monographs, 73 peer-reviewed articles, and 52 chapters.

"I am thrilled that Karen has been named a Regents Professor," said Jean Quam, dean of the College of Education and Human Development. "It is so well deserved. She has won many awards and accolades for her work because she does not back away from difficult issues on teaching children more effectively and understanding the complexity of our educational systems.

"She became a grandmother this week as well as a Regents professor--both of which are significant accomplishments," added Quam on a personal note. "We are very proud of the recognition she brings to her own work as well as to the department and the college."

Seashore has served on many editorial boards and review panels including the National Science Foundation's sections on Sociology and on Ethics and Values in Science and Technology, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Spencer Foundation. In addition to serving on numerous university-level committees such as the Faculty Consultative Committee, the Senate Committee on Educational Policy, the Senate Committee on Finance and Planning, and as vice chair of the University Senate, she has served as associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education, as director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, chair of the Department of Educational Policy and Administration, and as director of undergraduate studies in OLPD.

Posted by Steve Baker at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Please join the Curriculum and Instruction community in congratulating
their two Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship recipients. Brant Miller
(PhD candidate in the science education track, adviser Gill Roehrig)
and Jessica Moyer (PhD candidate in the literacy education track,
adviser David O'Brien) have been awarded Doctoral Dissertation
Fellowships for 2010-2011 from the Graduate School. This highly
competitive fellowship will support Miller and Moyer in their research
and dissertation research during the the 2010-11 academic year.
Miller's research involves looking at the development of science
agency in American Indian middle school students as a result of
experiencing a culturally relevant science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Moyer's research is a study of
comprehension, engagement and interest across three leisure reading
formats: print books, e-books, and digital audiobooks among older
adolescents.

Posted by Greg Steinke at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A film/poem written by Thom Swiss, professor of culture and teaching in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will air on French television and in French-speaking Africa, for the next few months as part of a global media show, "Mensomadaire." The film, a collaboration with director Yoshi Sodeaka of Japan, is titled "Blind Side of a Secret" and includes spoken parts in English, French, and Dutch. View an early version
of the piece.

Posted by Greg Steinke at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kinesiology graduate Kyle Knudson has been drafted by the Minnesota Twins. Knudson was a catcher for the Golden Gophers baseball team and graduated this spring with his B.S. in sport management. Read more at GopherSports and USA Today.

Knudson was featured in the story "More than a game" on athletes and academics in the fall 2009 issue of Connect.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The American School Counselor Association has named Educational Psychology associate professor Kay Herting Wahl its 2010 Counselor Educator of the Year. The national award recognizes a counselor educator for outstanding service and achievement that has had an impact on the school counseling profession. This is a tremendous honor from the world's largest school counseling association.

Posted by Kathleen Walter at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hee Yun Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Social Work, has been named the 2010-2011 Fesler-Lampert Chair in Aging Studies at the University of Minnesota Center on Aging.

The endowed chair funds researchers and scholars who want to pursue projects that will further knowledge and understanding about aging and its effects on people. Dr. Lee has been studying aging for more than 20 years, focusing on the quality of life and care among elderly immigrants and refugees. Holding the chair will give her the opportunity to pursue a community-based participatory research project that will examine health literacy—specifically cancer literacy and pertinent screening behaviors—among elders in the Hmong community in the Twin Cities area.

The long-term goal of the project is to create effective, culturally competent, and community-based interventions that increase cancer screening and ultimately improve the health and well-being of elder Hmong refugees. The chair was created in 1999 by the Center on Aging with support from the University of Minnesota Graduate School and the generosity of David and Elizabeth Fesler.

Posted by Jackie Colby at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Doctoral candidate Phebe Veronica Jatau is one of four students highlighted in a UMNews story on research by recipients of the Graduate School's 2009-10 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships. Her research focuses on high school dropout rates among northern Nigerian women and the gender gap and inequities that pervade the educational system. Jatau is in the literacy education track in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Jatau is also featured in a University video called "Dissertations in one minute or less."

Posted by Greg Steinke at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tamara Moore, co-director of the STEM Education Center, and the center's project with a local school are the subject of a KARE 11 Sunrise segment, "What's Cool in Our School." The STEM Center has partnered with Central Middle School in Columbia Heights to create a pilot program integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts in a new engineering class at the school.

Students in the class are learning to combine these concepts through the hands-on tasks of designing and making a cardboard chair that can support 200 pounds. Moore, assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, discusses the real-world applications of STEM with the students and describes how important it is to integrate STEM in teacher training and student learning.

Posted by Greg Steinke at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Liz Lightfoot, associate professor in the School of Social Work, is leading a study tour in Namibia from May 17 to June 2. The group members, who include 18 graduate students, will post their activities on this blog .

The group will visit with Namibian social workers in governmental and nongovernmental organizations working in the area of social development, and will visit social development projects run by local people in rural areas. The trip also will include viewing Namibia's famed wildlife at Etosha National Park, visiting Swakopmund—the Adventure Capital of Africa—and camping in a Bushman camp.

Posted by Jackie Colby at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 2010 edition of New Books for Young Readers is now available. Read reviews of the best books published in 2009 for readers from preschool through high school ages. Looking for books to use in the classroom? A just-right selection for a child? Detailed descriptions of books for every reader and every purpose are included.

Use the online search engine to find books from the last decade by a favorite author or illustrator, such as Jane Yolen or Ed Young; books in a particular genre, such as informational science or historical fiction; books by reading level from preschool to adolescent readers; books by culture or area in the world, such as Korean-American or Eastern Africa; or books by key word, such as slavery or elephants.

Download the 2010 edition of New Books for Young Readers [PDF]

New Books for Young Readers is supported by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction; the Julie M. Jensen Endowment for Language Arts Education, honoring Professors Naomi C. Chase and Robert Dykstra; and by all the trade book publishers who send their books for our consideration; Rebecca Rapport, editor.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lisa Johnson, a doctoral student in culture and teaching (Curriculum and Instruction) was recently awarded a Hauge Fellowship. She is advised by Tim Lensmire and Thom Swiss.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KARE 11 reporters Eric Perkins and Dave Watkins played singles tennis for 36 hours at Gustavus Adolphus College to break the current World Record for continuous singles tennis earlier this month. Part of their goal in taking on a tennis marathon was to raise money for the local American Cancer Society Relay for Life to support former Gustavus tennis coach Steve Wilkinson, who is battling cancer. The players thanked current Gustavus coach, Kinesiology Ph.D. student Tommy Valentini, and Wilkinson for the opportunity. Valentini and Wilkinson made Perkins and Watkins honorary members of the Gustavus team. Valentini is studying sport sociology and is advised by Dr. Nicole LaVoi. Read more about the story at:

http://www.kare11.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=849465&catid=24

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daheia Barr-Anderson, assistant professor in kinesiology, and her research study on how factors in the home environment contribute to obesity in African American children, adolescents, and their families, were featured last week in an article in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tee up with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends on Friday, July 23, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Valleywood Golf Course in Apple Valley for a fun-filled, best ball, golf scramble to raise money for the CEHD Alumni Society Board's Study Abroad Scholarship Fund. Register as a foursome or be matched with a group. Contests, team prizes, door prizes, breakfast, and lunch will be provided. Goldy might even take a swing. From beginning to advanced, women's teams, men's teams, mixed teams--all are welcome! Contact Heather Peña if you are interested in participating in the planning committee or would like to be a tournament sponsor.

CEHD Scramble for Scholarships registration brochure.pdf

Posted by hpena at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Professor Bill Doherty, of the Department of Family Social Science, offered advice to parents of teens, following a deadly weekend on Minnesota roads that claimed six young lives. Speaking to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Doherty cautions against "wishy-washy" parenting, stating that parents must establish firm expectations of teens, putting parenting duties ahead of friendship with their children.

"Many parents want to be buddies with their kids and don't want to come down too hard on them," Doherty said. "And many parents have this idea, 'Well, the kids are going to use alcohol anyway so why be the heavy, why talk about it that much?' What we know from the research is that teens who believe their parents are firmly against them drinking are less apt to drink. Our kids carry us in their brain and that's why [you need] a firm hand, that you're too young to drink and it's not acceptable to me as your parent that you drink at all, let alone drink and drive."

Posted by Amanda Brown at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Garrett Brown, sport management B.S. student who graduated last fall, was signed recently as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs to play in the NFL. Garrett was a two-year starter at defensive tackle and captain for the Golden Gophers with 99 tackles during his four-years on the team.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Students from Minneapolis Roosevelt High School's DigMe program visited the Twin Cities campus last week. The DigMe program partners with University of Minnesota faculty and students in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (Cynthia Lewis, professor of literacy eduction; Cassie Scharber, assistant professor of learning technologies; and doctoral students Jessica Dockter, literacy education; Lauren Causey, literacy eduction; Bjorn Pederson, learning technologies; Brian Lozenski, culture and teaching).

Scott Redd (African and African-American Studies) and Anise McDowell (K-12 Outreach, CLA) collaborated on the planning of the campus visit and created many opportunities for the Roosevelt students to "see themselves" on campus as future Gophers. Led by two CLA Future Scholars, students toured the Black Student Union and LaRaza in Coffman Memorial Union, as well as the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence. Lunch was sponsored by the Office for Equity and Diversity. Highlights of the visit included attending classes in African history and theatre, learning about digital media practices in one of the University's active learning classrooms, and shaking hands with President Bruininks.

The DigMe Digital Media Program mission is to empower students to think critically, build meaning, and demonstrate their understanding across all subjects by applying college preparatory, project based learning using digital technologies.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nicole LaVoi, Tucker Center associate director and lecturer in the School of Kinesiology discusses research on coaching boys versus coaching girls in a recent Post Crescent News article.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Barbara Hodne, Ph.D., Senior Teaching Specialist is actively involved with Entry Point Project, a new initiative of College in the Schools, a national program in which the University of Minnesota participates. This program allows high school students to receive high school and university credit concurrently for the classes they take.

For seven years, Hodne, whose background is in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and American Literature, has coached high school instructors as they teach a college-level writing class through the College in the Schools program. Recently, she has been involved in the initiative Entry Point Project, launched in fall 2009 to expand College in the Schools' offerings to high school students in the academic middle, or in the 50%-80% range of their classes.

The idea for Entry Point began with Susan Henderson, director of the College in the Schools program at the University. She and Hodne had both noted the gap in college preparation classes provided to high school English language learners and other prospective first generation university students in the schools. The Entry Point Project courses now include Writing Studio, Speech, Physics by Inquiry, and Mathematical Modeling and Prediction.

Posted by wils1309 at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Educational psychology associate professor Robert delMas has been selected as a 2010 Fellow of the American Statistical Association. Nominated by their peers, ASA Fellows are members of established reputation who have made outstanding contributions in some aspect of statistical work. Given annually, this prestigious honor is limited to no more than one-third of one percent of the ASA membership. Fellows will be honored during the Joint Statistical Meetings awards ceremony in Vancouver in August.

Posted by Kathleen Walter at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rayla Allison, J.D., sport management lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Sport Business Institute, was interviewed in a Fox 9 news video "Digging Deeper: NFL Player Personal Conduct Policy" on the issue of player conduct off the field.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

U.S. News and World Report has released its annual rankings of graduate schools, ranking the University of MInnesota College of Education and Human Development No. 23 overall and No. 14 among all public professional schools of education. Four academic programs ranked among the top 10 in the country.

"I am proud of the research, teaching, and learning that we offer at the College of Education and Human Development, and we will be building on our strengths in the coming year," said Dean Jean K. Quam. "We are re-envisioning our teacher preparation programs for today's classroom through our Teacher Education Redesign Initiative. Through a planning process we call Vision 2020, we are also focusing on diversity, technology and innovation, and excellence in research as we strengthen our areas of excellence."

U.S. News calculates its rankings based on quality assessments from peer institutions and school superintendents nationwide; student selectivity; and faculty resources, which include student-faculty ratio and faculty awards; as well as support for research.

The programs that ranked in the top 10 within their discipline were: developmental psychology, No. 1; special education, No. 7; educational psychology, No. 9; counseling and student personnel psychology, No. 10.

Posted by Diane Cormany at 1:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eighteen graduate students from the comparative and international developmental education program in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) are learning from a unique opportunity to conduct research alongside faculty in such countries as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Honduras, and Malawi. Their experiences are part of a partnership between the college, CARE USA, and CARE's partners in eight developing countries.

The college is in the final year of an initial $1.1 million grant from CARE. OLPD assistant professor Joan DeJaeghere and Christopher Johnstone, the college's director of international initiatives and relations, are co-principal investigators. OLPD faculty members Fran Vavrus and David Chapman also lead research teams in some of the countries.

Find out more about these unique research partnerships in the Community section of Connect.

Posted by Diane Cormany at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Margaret Sughrue Carlson (Ph.D. '83) recently retired as president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association after more than two decades as one of the most visible faces of the University. Under her leadership, the UMAA built its own on-campus home, increased membership, expanded attendance at its annual event, and developed lobbying influence on behalf of the University.

Find out how Carlson's dissertation work with educational policy faculty helped shape her as the leader she is, as well as the reasons for her ongoing commitment to the college and the U of M, in the latest issue of Connect.

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Research from Kyla Wahlstrom and Karen Seashore demonstrates that collective leadership, shared between education professionals, parents, and other community members, leads to student achievement.

Their findings, which will be part of the upcoming Wallace Foundation report, "Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improve Student Learning," are included in a larger story regarding parent leadership--available in the Winter/Spring '10 issue of Connect, the college magazine.

Posted by Diane Cormany at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The College of Education and Human Development Alumni Society hosted its 43rd annual Alumni Society Awards Celebration on Friday, April 9, at the McNamara Alumni Center. Congratulations to the following alumni and faculty who were honored at this year's celebration.

Distinguished International Alumni Award
Sung-Kyung Yoo (Educational Psychology)

Larry Wilson Award
Donna Tilsner (School of Kinesiology and General College)

William E. Gardner PreK-12 Outstanding Educator Award
Natalie Rasmussen (Curriculum & Instruction)

UCEA 2010 Excellence in Educational Leadership Award
Barry Kamrath (Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development)

Robert H. Beck Faculty Teaching Award
Tai Mendenhall (Family Social Science)

Gordon M. A. Mork Outstanding Educator Award
Lynn Jermal (Curriculum & Instruction)

Emerging Leader Award
Amelia Franck Meyer (School of Social Work)

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Byron Egeland and Alan Sroufe have spent their careers studying the factors that influence how people function. Despite retiring this year--Egeland in January and Sroufe come May--they remain dedicated to research in child development.

As part of that commitment, they are continuing their landmark Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The 35-year, world-renowned study has followed its research subjects from infancy through adulthood, examining social relationships, risk factors, and other significant influences on development.

At its core, the study examines how attachment between a parent and child develops and how this can affect long-term development. Among their findings: attachment influences dropout rates, academic achievement, and other key educational measures.

Read more about Egeland and Sroufe's work in the Winter/Spring '10 issue of Connect.

Posted by Danielle Bordeleau at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Angela Ruggiero, known to the world as a star player on the Olympics women's ice hockey team (and a contestant fired on "The Apprentice" who was later offered a job by Donald Trump), has a U of M connection. She is pursuing her M.Ed. degree in Sport Management from CEHD/School of Kinesiology. Her adviser is Brandi Hoffman, coordinator in the School of Kinesiology.

Ruggiero was featured last week in an online article for Team USA Ice Hockey.

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Ann Masten, PhD, professor in the Institute of Child Development, was recently involved in part three of the PBS series "This Emotional Life" where she discussed happiness and resilience. She has also posted two blog articles on the PBS website as part of this project: Ordinary Magic and Resilience in Late Bloomers.

Posted by Danielle Bordeleau at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since 1975, professors Byron Egeland and Alan Sroufe have traced the importance of childhood attachment. Their field-defining research, conducted along with professor Andrew Collins, is featured on the University of Minnesota home page.

Sroufe and Egeland have followed the same group of subjects for 35 years, from childhood through their adult family relationships. Now, Collins is researching how early attachments affect adult social relationships.

The article includes insights on how a responsive caregiver can influence confidence, social relationships--even IQ--for a lifetime.

Posted by Danielle Bordeleau at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

David L. Ghere, associate professor in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, died suddenly Sunday, January 17th, at the age of 59. He taught history at the University of Minnesota for the past 19 years, originally in the former General College.

According to his obituary, Ghere loved teaching and was passionate about helping students learn. He was attracted to the college because of its focus on developmental education. His historical research focused on American Indians during the colonial period.

Ghere is survived by his loving wife, Gail; his devoted children, Erin (Aaron), Christopher and his fiancé Alessandra and Shannon; his adoring grandson, Aidan; sisters, Dee McCollum (Jerry) of River Falls, WI and Dianne Cherry (Steve) of Arcola, IL; and a large, loving extended family.

Dave was a gentle, kind man of integrity who loved being with family. He was a Captain in the U.S. Army. He was born and raised in Arcola, IL.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the University of Minnesota TRiO Program. In memoriam checks made to University of Minnesota Foundation. Specify in memo line: TRIO Program Fund. Send to University of Minnesota Foundation, C-M 3854, P.O. Box 70870, St. Paul, MN, 55170-3854. Bradshaw 2800 Curve Crest Boulevard, Stillwater 651-439-5511

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